A “pusher” or “pushing apparatus,” as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,755 to Weagley (issued Mar. 3, 1998) or the folding material plow of U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,438, to Weagley et al. (issued Sep. 9, 2000), both hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, generally include sides extending forward from a mold board or central blade to assure material being pushed (e.g., snow, liquids, debris, sludge, etc.) remains in front of the pusher, and is not directed to one or both sides as with conventional plows.
The following disclosure is directed to aspects and embodiments of an improved pusher design, including several aspects that can be employed on traditional pusher designs in order to improve the use and efficiency of such pushers. The disclosed aspects and embodiments, alone and in combination, improve the functionality, reliability, ease of use and/or safety of pushers.
In accordance with an aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, there is provided a material pushing apparatus, comprising: an upstanding central blade including a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge along an opposite side of said blade, and left and right ends; a vertical side plate attached to and extending forward at a generally perpendicular angle from each of the ends of the central blade; a first cutting edge attached to the central blade along the first longitudinal edge; and a second cutting edge attached to the central blade along the second longitudinal edge.
In accordance with another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a reversible coupler for use with a reversible implement, comprising: a first coupler portion suitable for attachment to a vehicle in a first orientation; and a second coupler portion suitable for attachment to the vehicle in a second orientation.
In accordance with another embodiment, there is disclosed a method of using a reversible pusher, comprising: connecting a vehicle to the pusher in a first orientation having a first cutting edge adjacent a surface upon which the pusher rests; advancing the pusher with the first cutting edge adjacent the surface; disconnecting the pusher from the vehicle; reconnecting the vehicle to the pusher in a second orientation having a second cutting edge adjacent the surface; and advancing the pusher with the second cutting edge adjacent the surface.
In accordance with a further aspect, there is provided an improved scraping edge for attachment along a longitudinal edge of a moldboard, comprising: a flexible base, removably attached to the moldboard, along a top portion of the base; a rigid cutting edge extending along and removably attached to said flexible base along a bottom portion of the base, wherein said flexible base flexes to allow the cutting edge to bypass immovable objects it contacts; and a tensioner to bias said flexible base into a partially flexed position.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a material pushing apparatus, comprising: an upstanding moldboard including a bottom longitudinal edge, and left and right ends; a vertical side plate attached to and extending forward at a generally perpendicular angle from each of said left and right ends of the moldboard; and a scraping edge attached to the moldboard along said bottom longitudinal edge, said scraping edge including, a flexible base, removably attached to the moldboard, along a top portion of the flexible base using at least one hold-down member; a rigid cutting edge extending along and removably attached to said flexible base along a bottom portion of the base, wherein said flexible base flexes to allow the cutting edge to bypass immovable objects it contacts; and a tensioner to bias said flexible base into a partially flexed position.
In accordance with a further aspect disclosed herein there is provided a material pusher, comprising: an upstanding central blade including a lower longitudinal edge and left and right ends; a vertical side plate extending forward at a right angle from each end of the central blade; and removable wear shoe attached along a bottom edge of each vertical side plate, wherein the removable wear shoe extends from a position adjacent a front edge of the vertical side plate to a position at least 6 inches beyond a rear surface of the moldboard so as to assure that a bottom surface of the wear shoe remains in complete contact with a surface on which the pusher is used.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the following disclosure there is provided an extended wear shoe for use on a material pusher, comprising: a web for attachment to a side plate of the pusher; a generally horizontal lower surface for sliding contact with the ground, the lower surface transitioning to front and rear ramped surfaces on either end thereof; and a cap, permanently attached to the web and the upper end of the rear ramped surface thereof.
Disclosed in accordance with another embodiment is an improved scraping edge for attachment along a longitudinal edge of a pusher moldboard, comprising: a plurality of rigid sections; said sections being attached along the longitudinal edge using fasteners having a low yield strength and hardness such that one or more sections are dislodged from a normal operating position upon contact with an immovable object to thereby prevent damage to the object.
Also disclosed with respect to yet a further embodiment is a material pushing apparatus, comprising: an upstanding central blade including a lower longitudinal edge and left and right ends; a vertical side plate extending forward at a right angle from each end of the central blade; and a breakaway cutting edge, comprised of a plurality of rigid sections, attached to the central blade along the longitudinal edge, wherein at least one of the sections is dislodged from its normal operating position upon sufficient contact with an immovable object to prevent damage to the object.
In accordance with a further aspect disclosed herein there is provided a material moving apparatus, comprising: an upstanding moldboard including a bottom longitudinal edge, and left and right ends; a vertical side plate attached to and extending forward at a generally perpendicular angle from each of said left and right ends of the moldboard; and a scraping edge attached to the moldboard along said bottom longitudinal edge, said scraping edge including a rigid component and means for assuring that said rigid component yields upon coming in contact with an immovable object.